Time for bed little one,
My name is Katie and tonight's story is The Coloured Journey by Trish Banks.
So grab your teddy and let's go on an adventure.
When Gran comes over to babysit me,
I look forward to story time right after tea.
Her stories are not of the usual kind,
Cause Gran takes me off inside my mind.
A special companion is waiting in there,
To see what adventures tonight we might share.
To swim with the dolphins or fly like a dove,
Or float like a bubble in the sky above.
I'm never quite sure just where we are bound,
But one thing's for certain,
The treasure is found.
Our first port of call is the big trouble tree,
That's where I hang things that upset me.
Like a fight with my friend,
Or Mummy's face cross,
Or a bully in school,
Or finding I'm lost.
All of these worries I keep in a sack,
That stays in my tummy,
Or sometimes my back.
I find them inside me,
All of my woes,
Then hang them on branches in neat little rows.
There they can swing,
Till the wind comes along,
To blow them away as it makes up a song.
With all my sad feelings out of the way,
I think of the good things that happened today.
I had a long turn on the swing in the yard,
And did all my homework,
Which I thought was hard.
Now all my feelings have been expressed,
My body relaxes,
I can take a deep breath.
That's how I get to my magical land,
With a friend from the inside we can stand hand in hand.
And if we have a question too hard for us,
We hop on the number 59 bus.
It takes us into the forest of me,
And lets us off at the foot of a tree.
The trunk has a door that leads to a park,
And to her amazement inside it's not dark.
A park with a difference,
Here I might add,
With books and computers and professor quite mad.
He knows all there is to know about me,
So I'm never alone with a problem you see.
He is who knows what makes my heart sing,
So when I know him I know everything.
We thank the professor and are off on our way,
Knowing we can come back to him any day.
We lie in the grass looking up at the sky,
A cloud like a dolphin comes floating by.
I look at my friend and we have to agree that tonight our adventure is under the sea.
Soon we are swimming and splashing about,
Laughing with glee and with pleasure we shout,
Let us be fish,
We shall swim to the sea.
And with that we can breathe water quite easily.
Through reeds and through rushes round rocks we go,
Following the river,
Going with the flow,
Changing our form as we swiftly swim by,
Becoming two dolphins who know how to fly.
Over a waterfall into the sea,
Deeper we dive to find what we might see.
A wondrous place with delights to behold,
Perhaps from King Neptune or pirates of old.
The sea surrenders the wisdom of caves and gives us a map to a mystical cave.
A cavern of crystals all purple and white,
With a shiny old man whose face is so bright.
Then from the folds of his cloak will appear a rare piece of treasure for me to hold dear.
Here in this splendid magnificent place I see I am looking at my own face.
I am the treasure that sets me free.
In this whole wide world there is only one me.
So I wrap it with love and I bury it deep in my heart for a lifetime to keep.
And with that the waves of sleep wash over me,
So I leave my adventure down under the sea.
My dreams may continue to swim with the fish,
But for me it's a snuggle and maybe a wish.
Upon the first star that comes at twilight and I whisper to my gran a sleepy goodnight.
She tucks me in like a bird in a nest and I cuddle the teddy that I like best.
A small little smile slides over my face as I wait for the moment of heavenly grace.
When the soft gift of sleep is given to me and I can go to a place where I can just be.
